UK Maritime Heritage Forum
20 – 22 October 2026
Historic Dockyard Chatham, Kent
The UK Maritime Heritage Forum is an annual conference and networking event that brings together museum organisations, professionals, volunteers, and policymakers dedicated to preserving and promoting the UK’s rich maritime heritage. The event provides an opportunity to share knowledge, showcase best practice, and discuss challenges and opportunities facing the sector. Through talks, panels, and networking, the Forum helps strengthen collaboration and support in the maritime heritage sector.
PROGRAMME
Day 1: Tuesday 20th October
18:00 – 20:00: Evening Drinks Reception
An exclusive evening at No.1 Smithery. Join us from 18:00 for drinks, canapés and entry to our temporary exhibition, In Turner’s Wake. Following opening remarks, network with fellow delegates before the evening concludes at 20:00.
Day 2: Wednesday 21st October
08:30 – 09:50: Welcome & Keynote
Venue: Royal Dockyard Church
08:30 – Registration, tea, coffee & pastries
09:15 – Welcome
09:30 – 09:50 – Keynote Speaker (TBC)
Session 1 (09:50 – 11:00): Maritime Place Making. Chair: Ken Hamilton
John Monasta and Sion Atkinson, A Ship’s Odyssey: The Arctic Corsair’s Final Journey “Home” and Its Impact on UK Maritime Heritage (Beckett Rankine/Hull City Council)
Dr Alex Ombler, Goole-built: Co-Creating with a Forgotten Shipbuilding Community, A Case Study (East Riding Council’s Goole Museum)
Alexandra Wade, An overview of a changing climate on maritime heritage (Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust)
10:50 – 11:00 – Q&A
11:00– 11:25 – Break and Poster Session, tea, coffee & biscuits
Session 2 (11:30 – 13:15): Communities & Audiences. Chair: Mark Vasey
Hannah Bradbury-Crowther, Changing Audiences and Programming Challenges: Broadening Maritime Narratives Without Losing Core Engagement (Mercantile Marine Memorial Trust)
Ruth Boley, Schools, teachers and the Ocean environment (Royal Museums Greenwich)
Line Packer, Embodied – The Making of a Windermere Skiff (Windermere Jetty Museum)
12:35 – 12:45 – Q&A
12:45-13:15- AGM
13:15 – 14:15 – Lunch in the Dockyard Church
Session 3 (14:30 – 16:00): Study Sessions
- Ropery Experience, 60 minutes
- Warships: Behind the Scenes Tour, 90 minutes
- Collections: Behind the Scenes, 60 minutes
- Royal Museums Greenwich Stores, 60min
18:00 – 22:00: Trafalgar Night Dinner
Join fellow delegates for a memorable Trafalgar Night Dinner, beginning with a drinks reception at 18:00, followed by a welcome speech and three-course dinner.
Day 3: Thursday 22nd October:
08:30 – 09:50: Welcome & Keynote
Venue: Royal Dockyard Church
08:30 – Registration, tea, coffee & pastries
09:15 – Welcome
09:30 – 09:50 – Keynote (TBC)
09:50 – 11:15: Funding Session & Workshop
Introduction to the workshop session: Hannane Ford (Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust), Projects and lessons learnt from Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust
10:05 – 10:35 – Breakout workshops
10:45 – 11:15 – Feedback in the Dockyard Church
11:15 – 11:30 – Break, tea, coffee & biscuits
11:30 – 13:00: Heritage Boat Owners. Chair: Louise Macfarlane
Julian and Alison Cable, The Association for Gaff Rig Sailing (Association for Gaff Rig Sailing)
Tony Woodward, The Future for Individual Vessel Owners Preserving our Maritime Heritage (Narrowboat owner)
Eulilee Brown, The role of heritage institutions in safeguarding maritime skills: a case study from Shetland and Orkney. (Doctoral Researcher at Nottingham Trent University)
12:50-13:00- Q&A
13:00 – 14:00 – Lunch in the Dockyard Church
14:00 – 14:25: 5 Minute Updates
- Linda Gordon, The Port of Bristol Authority Photographic Collection: Newly accessible through Bristol Museums Collections
- (TBC) on Coastal Pasts – Connecting Community with Coastal Heritage at Sandwich Bay
- Paige Canavan-Smith, Women in Maritime Roles / Connecting theatre with heritage sites
- Mary Montagu-Scott, Updates from the Buckler’s Hard Shipyard trust
- Aaron Jaffer, Black and Asian Seafarers: A Visual History:
- Aaron Jaffer: Adlard Coles – Bloomsbury.
14:30 – 16:55: AI & Digital Technology. Chair: Meredith Greiling
Luca Rapisarda, Empowering large-scale research with AI data extraction (Lloyds Register Foundation)
John Beiner (Compass Games) and Dr Lucas Haasis (German Maritime Museum in Bremerhaven), Community, Crowdfunding, and a New Case for Video Games in Maritime Heritage.
15:10 – 15:25 – Break, tea, coffee & biscuits
Robert Rumble, When AI meets the Archive: How IWM is reimagining access to Sound Archive collections (Imperial War Museums)
15:45 – 16:55 – Q&A
16:55 – 17:10: Closing Session
16:55 – 17:05– Robin Diaper, Introduction to UKMHF Hull 2027
17:05 – 17.10 Closing remarks
17.10 – Event Close
Zone South East